Cloud and Apollo's Excellent Adventure
by UnknownUnseenUnheard
Summary: Or, Cloud is determined to find Zack, and Apollo is along for the ride. Now, if only Vincent would stop being such a troll and Kuja stopped forcing him into drag, everything would be great. From the Heart tie in


A/N: This may seem familiat to some of you. Thattttt should not be surprising, becuase the following is... Me extracting the Cloud and Apollo chapters from From the Heart I. Most of From the Heart 1 isn't all that important and basically just consists of everyone meeting each other, but this part is actually relevent to the plot soooo I took out these scenes and collected them here for anyone who wants them

Have fun and enjoy :)

Published: 3/14/2019

Warnings: None

Featured Characters:

Cloud Strife

Vincent Valentine

Apollo

Supporting:

Aerith

Hestia

Kuja

Zidane

Antagonist:

Sephiroth(In the background, no direct appearence)

* * *

**Cloud and Apollo's Excellent Adventure**

A single figure strode forth, a blood red tattered cloak following his footsteps. Within the shadow of the night, it was difficult to make out much of his features, save for the overly dramatic blond spikes that shot from his head in all directions. Spikes that challenged even Sora's legendary hair.

Knocking a locke of said hair out of his eyes with a golden clawed hand, Cloud Strife took one last glance behind him.

This place…

The others could call this home, but he could not. They could stay here and hide in the shadows, in the dark, and cower, but Cloud refused to.

He could feel it.

An echo, in the back of his head.

He could-

**_"Enough of the dramatic thoughts, Cloud. Honestly. Is this what Zack had to put up with?"_**

Cloud rolled his eyes in response as the cool voice cut across his musings. Calm, collected, a no nonsense attitude.

Talking to a voice in one's head was not the sign of a sane mind. Cloud didn't particularly care, to be honest. He'd always felt most at peace when he had a voice whispering in the back of his skull, so having another one wasn't all that bothersome.

_"Shut up, Vincent. Let me do my dramatic internal monologues."_

**_"Why? It's not like anyone can hear them, although everyone can see that dramatic hair flip you're so fond of. Really Cloud?"_**

_"You're so more talkative than I'm used to." _Cloud shamelessly complained.

**_"Of course I am, you moron! These aren't words, they're thoughts!"_**

_"I'd assume a Turk would have more control of their thought patterns."_

Cloud couldn't help the triumphant smirk as the he was met with only silence at the words. Ha! Okay, so he knew Vince would eventually get him back because despite giving Cloud, of all people, a run for his money in the extrovert department, Vincent had a particularly sharp and cunning tongue.

A soft thud echoed across the streets. Cloud paused before shooting an imperative look behind him. He could feel her before he saw her. It was her.

Of course, it was her. It could be no other.

"Aerith."

Brilliant green eyes, so unlike that monster, stared at him. She'd brought a staff along, of course. None of them were ever without their weapons. Not again. Not anymore. Never again.

This universe was too dangerous to let your guard down. The second you do, Ragnarok rains down around you, leaving only an ever growing mountain of bodies, piling up one after the other. Ragnarok had rained upon them, and they hadn't been ready. They hadn't been prepared. They hadn't expected it.

Which hardly mattered considering it was an impossible war, but whatever. They knew better now. Cloud liked to think so, at the very least.

"Cloud. You're leaving."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Blunt. A fact. Cloud was leaving. Aerith already knew that. She wasn't even going to bother trying to stop him. At least, not overtly. No. If that had been her intention, she'd have gathered the others here but they weren't anywhere to be seen.

No.

Instead, she had come to him alone.

Cloud turned to face her. With only the stars above to illuminate them and the soft glow of a far off street lamp, Aerith, as always, looked ethereal. For so many days, weeks, months, Cloud hadn't let himself believe.

Aerith was dead and he had watched her die and she was broken and he couldn't stop it, but that didn't matter anymore because here she was, smiling and breathing and living again.

"I am." Cloud gave a single terse nod.

A frown mated Aerith's delicate features.

"She'll go after you, you know."

Cloud couldn't help but smile, hand reflectively scratching the back of his head. Bad habit he'd picked up, really. "I know. She always does. Always has. She's my best friend. Of course, she's gonna come after me."

Aerith's grip on the staff grew vice like.

"Then why," she hissed, green eyes sparkling with fire, "are you leaving without saying a word?"

"Because, she'd try to stop me. Or worse, insist on coming with me."

Hiding things from Aerith was not a wise choice. It's not something one did when they valued their existence. Cloud valued his existence.

"And is it so bad, Cloud, to learn to rely on others? To trust in your friends, in someone else other than yourself for once?" Aerith's voice was as lethal as the blade that had taken her from him.

Cloud had survived its string a hundred times over. He could survive another jab. With a shake of his head, he replied. "No, Aerith. I can't. Not with this. Not with any of you. Not right now."

Her grip on the staff grew so tight that her knuckles began to whiten and Cloud heard the faint splinter of wood.

"And why not?" she demanded, looking ready to throttle him.

Cloud responded by drawing the Buster Blade, allowing it to appear in his hands as he twisted the blade in his hands.

"Because… I have to return this to its rightful owner." At the words, she shot him a look of confusion. Why wouldn't she? Was Cloud not the owner of the blade? "Don't worry, Aerith. I know you don't remember, but you will. And, when you do, you'll understand. Hell, I bet you'll even thank me!"

With one last smile, tears prickling at his eyes, Cloud spun the blade above his head and vanished in a shower of bright embers before Aerith could even think of stopping him.

Miles away, Cloud lowered the blade before turning towards his companion.

"Any leads?"

Burning eyes, like fire and destruction of the faux Surt that had marched upon Midgard in its final hours gazed at him. Expect these eyes held not darkness and malice but kindness and warmth.

"A few. But, this I can confirm… He lives. Wherever his soul lies, it is not among the spirits of the dead, nor those lost to the shadows."

Cloud grinned.

Meeting a Goddess really had been one of his more outrageous moments and had tossed Cloud's life into an out of control spiral, but he didn't regret it. Not for a second. Instead, he watched as Hestia matched his grin, and hope began to blossom.

_"Zack. I'll find you. I promise."_

* * *

"I always knew Aunt Hestia would eventually realize the complete and utter awesomeness that is me! I can't believe she even thought to give me my own Bioshen, too!"

Cloud instantly regretted every good thought he had had about her. Help find Zack, Hestia had said. She needed to tell Zack all about his kid, Hestia had said. No, she hadn't had an affair behind Aerith's back, Hestia had claimed. Cloud had believed her. He had believed her because all of his instincts were telling him he could trust the woman- er, goddess.

Hell, even Vincent agreed that Hestia seemed trustworthy, and Vincent never trusted anyone.

This, however, he could not forgive. Hestia was a smiling force of deception. She had weaved him into her twisted web and Cloud, poor Cloud, had fell for it. He had fell for it, and was now playing a rather cruel price for it.

Cloud turned and shot Apollo a glare. How Hestia had convinced the god to actually wander the Outside World, were he was actually vulnerable, was beyond Cloud, but Hestia had managed it. Who knows, maybe she'd pulled some random trick the same way she'd convinced Cloud to help her with her journey.

Cloud wasn't sure if he appreciated the help, if Apollo could be called that.

"For the last time, I am not your 'personal Bioshen'!" Cloud snapped.

Apollo responded with a small little laugh, eyes shamelessly trailing down Cloud's form. Cloud, not for the first time, cursed his mother and her pale skin, pale skin that he had inherited, as a blush ran across his cheeks. Apollo noticed it instantly, practically squealing at it.

Cloud twitched.

"What? You're cute when you blush like that, my lovely Cloud."

**_"He's got a point there. I agree."_**

"Vincent! Shut the hell up"

"See! Even your friend agrees with me!"

More like his so called friend enjoyed teasing the hell out of Cloud and his current situation. All it took for Vincent to start lighting up from his days as an emo icon was getting stuck in the back of Cloud's head and tormenting him. Oh joy.

Good deeds never get you anywhere. They just get you an annoying voice in the back of your head, a pissed off bestie, and a polysexual deity that wouldn't stop hitting on Cloud every chance he got.

**_"I resent that. Come on, Cloud. You're taking this way to seriously. Let go a little. Stop holding it in."_**

Cloud bit back a rather scathing comment about how Vincent, who had chosen to wallow in his self pity for thirty years sleeping under Nibelheim had no right to say such words to him, but he held them back. Unfortunately, the second you think something, you can't really hide it from someone living in your head.

Vincent, surprisingly, didn't take offense. Instead, he started humming, of all things.

"So, my gloriously fabulous companion… Where too?"

Cloud sighed. Flying a Gummi Ship through space was weird. This was so Cid's thing. They didn't have much of a choice, though. Apollo could move around on his own just fine, but where would that leave Cloud? Apollo could, in theory, bring Cloud along, but doing so would weaken him, so Cloud wasn't going to bother suggesting it.

Gods don't like being weakened. They have a rather strange aversion to it. Who knew.

"The last place Zack was spotted."

Before them, a world familiar to Apollo appeared. Apollo, somehow, impossibly, paled. Cloud didn't think a sun god could actually manage a feat like that, but Apollo did.

There, just a hair's breadth away, it stood. Floating in the aether of space, a world created by Olympian folly as they explored the Outside World. A world inhabited by their counterparts and a rather psychotic, flamboyant version of Hades.

The Olympus Coliseum seemed to glow, it's golden hue illuminating the space around it with a brilliance that could only be born from a world made of gods.

* * *

Apollo does not like this idea. Nope, nope, he doesn't like it at all. How he let himself get dragged into this is beyond him, and he should have totally said no right from the get go. He had known this was a terrible idea the moment Aunt Hestia had even suggested it and, as usual, Apollo's infinite divine knowledge of stuff was correct.

What he was doing right now was strictly forbidden. Scratch that, screw forbidden. What he was doing right now could erase him, permanently. He was walking a line, a very narrow line, and just the smallest breeze could topple him over the edge into the endless abyss.

How the Norse Gods did this so casually was beyond Apollo. Hell, there were so many copies of Odin running around that they might as well start their own rock band.

And now, Apollo was being dragged back here of all places. Back to the Olympus Coliseum, a world constructed by misguided imprints Apollo and his fellow Olympians had left scattered through time and space. This was the one world that Apollo did not want to visit under any circumstances, period.

"Ah haha!" Apollo barked out such a ridiculously fake laugh that Cloud could not help to turn towards him, blue glowing eyes shining with a mixture of bewilderment and concern.

Not for the first time, Apollo resisted the urge to swoon. He was not some maiden on her wedding day. Getting lost in those eyes would only serve to distract from the important task at hand. Mainly, avoiding his own destruction.

Zeus would smite him if he found out Apollo had gone against the divine ordinance. Although, could you blame him?

What monster could resist the pouting, please puppy eyes of Aunt Hestia?

"What's wrong?" Cloud's baritone voice broke through the haze of Apollo's thoughts. Instead of his usual stoicism or the rather frequent annoyed expression Cloud would shoot him, instead his face was scrunched with what could only be described as concern.

Should Apollo be thrilled or offended?

"Could we not explore another world?" Apollo smiled, knowing Cloud would be unable to resist Apollo's will, his undeniable charm. The blond, like so many others, would submit, because that's what humans did in the presence of sheer awesomeness.

Cloud, instead, proved how utterly heartless he was by scoffing, raising a single unimpressed eyebrow towards Apollo.

"Why in the hell would we do that? Zack was last seen here, after-" Cloud choked on his own words, eyes widening as his eyes darted away, off into the distance.

Huh?

"After what?" Apollo, tactfully, pressed. And, hey, if there was a little compulsion in his voice, that wasn't exactly his fault, right? It's not Apollo's fault that humans aren't too good at dealing with it while most gods won't even notice a damn thing that comes out of your mouth without it.

Cloud didn't look At him. Odd. Why wouldn't anyone not want to look at Apollo? That made no sense at all!

Still, Cloud's gaze, it was, well… clouded, no pun intended. He wasn't seeing here, Apollo realized. Cloud's body might be here, but his mind? His mind had wandered somewhere else, leaving behind only the flesh.

"Cloud?" Apollo pressed again, a little more will and little more concern lacing even his voice.

Cloud looked back towards him.

That look…

That haunted look…

Apollo had only seen it once before. He had only seen it in the eyes of his Stepmother, after Zeus had realized her from her confinement in Tartarus. The gaze of unspeakable horrors.

"We… Mom, she called it Ragnarok." Cloud spoke, eyes still misty as he looked away again. Apollo froze. Surely the blond couldn't really mean… "Gods, primordials, the forces of the universe clashing and making the world anew, again and again and again. Instead, what we got got… We got the Heartless, invaiding our world and ravagin it to ruin." Cloud's breath hitches for just a second. "There were so many of them. We tried. We tried, so hard. We tried and tried, but it was useless."

Apollo had never heard speak so much in one go. He was surprised the blond was even opening up at all, really, before it hit him.

Cloud alone remembered the Fall of his world. None of the other survivors had an inkling of a clue about the place, but Cloud remembered. Remembered, and had been holding it all in.

Apollo, though, was a stranger. Funny, how easy it is to say so much to a stranger, than to someone that you've known all your life. There was a reason therapists existed, after all.

"We would kill them again and again. And they would just keep on reforming, endlessly. Zack.. When it was all over, he was gone. He wasn't there, and no one… No one else remembered. Even I barely did. Barely, but there."

Cloud turned, fixing his gaze towards the Coliseum floating in space.

"He was here. He's not anymore, I know that, but… If we want to find him, we have to start here."

Then, Cloud proved he had evil running in his veins equaling or surpassing that of Kronos. Those glistening, glowing, ethereal eyes locked back into Apollo. Oh hell.

"So, please… I know this place makes you uncomfortable, but help me."

Hestia had trained the blonde. Of that, Apollo was sure. Damn it, damn it all.

Apollo sniffed. He sighed, and nodded, at long last relenting. Cloud beamed at him, and Apollo's stomach did not flutter with butterflies. Don't be ridiculous.

Stupid normally stoic sexy manipulative soldier boys.

* * *

**_"You really laid it on him. I'm impressed."_**

_"Shut up Vincent."_

"Yes, shut up Vincent."

Cloud was really having a hard time getting used to that. Most people could not hear Vincent. Most people couldn't detect him at all. Vincent was, after all, stuck inside Cloud's mind. It was logical for his presence to be nonexistent to others. Apollo, on the other hand, heard him clear as day.

Still, Cloud had managed to convince Apollo to go against his warring instincts, which, from the looks of it, had the god on the verge of running and ditching Cloud behind. Which Cloud supposed wouldn't be too bad. He could handle things on his own.

However, Hestia had insisted. She had said that Apollo, with his prophetic abilities, might be able to catch something that neither she nor Cloud could.

He hated when Hestia was right.

The Coliseum was currently in the middle of a match. Cloud looked around. Great, just great. So many people, milling here and there, along the stands and what not as there, in the center of the arena, a short little blonde with a ponytail spun a pair of vicious looking daggers. A tail, of all things, swung behind him as he chopped at what unmistakably looked like skeletons.

Animated skeletons, being commanded by a brown cloaked figure that Cloud was sure was a necromancer.

Cloud scrunched his nose in distaste. Fighting undead warriors was always annoying. Fighting someone who could summon them was even more annoying than that.

Then, as if life hadn't tossed him enough curveballs, it decided to toss one other. Normally, Cloud wouldn't actually mind it, since he was rarely around people so he often didn't care what people thought or said. However, as it was, he was currently traveling with a pansexual deity who took every opportunity to flirt terribly with him, so what came next was not welcome.

"Cloud! My dear crossdressing buddy!"

Cloud resisted the urge to groan. Beside him, Apollo's eyes lit with a familiar light.

"Crossdressing? Hm… I can see it, yeah." Apollo stated, hand curled around his chin as he eyed Cloud over yet again.

Cloud grit his teeth. Ignoring the other, he turned towards the newcomer. Silver hair falling in all directions, a damn peacock feather seemingly sticking out of the top, and the most ridiculous excuse for clothing Cloud had ever seen was striding towards them. If anything, Kuja did know how to turn all eyes towards him.

Kuja was smiling at him as if they were old friends, a far contrast to his usual behavior where he'd adamantly turn his head and assure everyone that he didn't know Cloud in the slightest.

Cloud himself wasn't sure where he'd met the genome. His memories had always been a little fuzzy, especially after the Fall.

"Kuja. What are you doing here. Are you competing?" Cloud said in form of greeting.

A greeting Kuja did not seem to approve of. The silver haired mage finally reached them, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. Silver hair. Cloud had never liked people with silver hair. They made him uneasy, for obvious reasons. Not that he could let Kuja know that. Kuja, the bastard, would never let it go and would likely lord it over him forever if he found out.

"Is that anyway you greet your friends, Cloud? No wonder you have so few." then, Kuja, hypocrite that he was, turned away from Cloud and instead looked on towards Apollo. "And ah, who is this?"

"Apollo, the great and fabulous!" the sun god introduced himself with a wide bow. Several people eyed him oddly for it, and Cloud was sure he'd heard someone mutter about how some idiot was pretending to be an Olympian and would likely bring down their wrath right on their heads.

Did Apollo not know the definition of the word 'covert'? Cloud was beginning to regret bringing Apollo down here.

"Oh, are you? A pleasure then, my lord." Kuja smiled, lifting his hand. Apollo took it and the pair shook, Apollo seeing absolutely nothing wrong.

Apollo didn't know Kuja. Cloud did. Those eyes danced with dangerous light. Kuja always did walk a tense edge on the line of sanity, and it seemed he was doing so even now.

"Kuja, why are you here?" Cloud asked.

Kuja turned to him.

"I could ask the same, Cloudy, but I do have some semblance of manners. Although, I suppose it wouldn't hurt… I've come to cheer as my brother is competing." Kuja revealed, gesturing towards the arena.

Cloud turned.

Ah. He was wondering why the little midget with the spinning blades looked familiar. Zidane Tribal. Cloud decided he'd have to watch his wallet. That little shit had quicker hands than Yuffie.

Then, without missing a beat, Kuja turned and stepped towards the edge of the rail. Cupping his hands over his mouth, the genome roared, no doubt to cheer his brother on.

"Go on, Scarmiglione! Kick his ass! KNOCK THAT LITTLE SHIT INTO NEXT WEEK!"

… Or maybe not.

"KUJA! WHAT THE HELL! YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE CHEERING ME ON, NOT HIM!" Zidane's voice somehow managed to thunder above that of the crowd.

Kuja shrugged, despite Zidane being unlikely to see it. Could Zidane see them clearly? They were pretty high up.

"I SAID I WOULD COME, AND I SAID I WOULD CHEER! I NEVER SAID I'D CHEER FOR YOU! GET HIM!"

The necromancer, Scarmiglione, did just that as a dozen more skeletons popped out of the ground, swinging swords at Zidane. Not that the increased numbers mattered much. Zidane was fast, a whirlwind of spinning blades.

Kuja turned towards them.

"So, now that I've revealed why I'm here… What brings an ex-SOLDIER and an original Olympian to this backwater excuse of a world?"

* * *

Apollo resisted the urge to summon his bow as the words left the scantily dressed mage's lips. Cloud's crossdressing buddy was smiling at them, seemingly incapable of any other expression. Apollo was starting to wonder if the expression was genuine or not, although he was leaning towards the latter.

"We're just looking for an old friend, that's all. Also… Could you mind with the discretion?" Cloud's voice carried a hidden threat.

A threat Kuja ignored. With an arched eyebrows, the genome replied, "Why? Your friend finder doesn't seem to get that message either."

Apollo winced when Cloud shot him an accusatory glare. Okay, so maybe he should come up with a code name.

"Fred. My name is Fred." Apollo said.

Kuja was not impressed. Neither, it seemed, was Cloud. Ignoring him, and who in their right minds ignored him, Kuja turned back to Cloud. "Cloud, my friend, my closest ally, my friendly neighborhood crossdresser who looks killer in red, my sweet-"

"What the hell do you want?"

**_"... He certainly has a way with words."_**

Kuja smiled. Apollo was rapidly beginning to hate that smile.

"I'm thirsty. Be a dear, and get me something? Anything, really. In exchange, I'll see what I can do to help you find this… Missing friend."

Right. As if Cloud would ever-

Apollo watched in shock as Cloud shrugged.

"Sure. You better not go back on your word, though. I'll kick your ass from here to the Pride Lands."

Kuja looked shocked. Hand placed over his chest, the silver haired man swayed. "Me? Go back on my word? I would never!"

Cloud responded with a grunt before turning to Apollo.

"Want anything?"

Apollo, however, just shook his head. Cloud shrugged, wandering off and leaving Apollo alone with the still smiling Kuja. The second Cloud was out of sight, the smile broke, eyes snapping towards Apollo, a red tinge glowing in the background as a bit of energy began to cackle around them.

Oh hell. Really? Well, if it's a fight Kuja wanted, it's a fight he would get. Apollo was a god. He had seen war a thousand times over. Kuja wasn't menacing at all in the face of that.

"Ah, Mr. Sun God. Tell me… What are your intentions towards Cloudy? I've seen the way you keep looking at him. Not subtle. Not subtle at all."

Wait, what?

Kuja eyed him expectantly. By Chaos, the mage was serious. Was this really happening? Was Apollo really already being threatened by the friends of the latest person he was trying to seduce? That's not how it normally went! Hell, he hadn't even made any headway into it so far. He was tempted to relent, since Apollo wasn't one to continue sexual advances if he knew they made others uncomfortable.

Cloud didn't seem uncomfortable with it, though. If anything, he seemed more confused and unsure of how to respond to Apollo's advances than anything else. A little annoyed, maybe, but from what Apollo could tell that was more because of an antisocial personality. That, and getting him to blush was fun.

Kuja tapped his foot impatiently, bringing Apollo back to the present.

"Well?" the mage demanded.

Apollo crossed his arms.

"I don't think that's any of your business." Apollo replied.

Kuja responded with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh? Isn't it? Very well." Kuja responded, taking a step forth, more power, more magic seeming to dance around them. For some reason, no one else noticed. Now that Apollo noticed, it didn't seem anyone was around anymore. Kuja had, while Apollo hadn't been looking, cast some sort of veil around them, making the rest of the people here walk off.

Apollo narrowed his eyes.

"Let me tell you this, god… I don't even know if Cloud would be interested. The topic of sexuality never really came up, and, to be frank, I'm sometimes convinced he might be asexual. However… On the off chance that he is not, and you do, in fact, manage to seduce him… If you hurt him, I will break you into so many pieces that you won't have a hope of ever reforming." Kuja declared, the red tinge in his eyes now a burning flame.

Apollo backed off, glaring.

"I'm sure Cloud can take care of himself. Butt out."

To this, Kuja tossed his head back and barked out a laugh.

"Oh, I'm sure he can. But, will he?" Kuja said. Apollo's face scrunched in confusion. "Cloud is a masochist, you see. He feels so much guilt for things out of his control that if you harm him, he'll merely wave it off and assume he deserved it. Assume it's his own fault. That is why, god, why I will personally shatter you if you choose to do so."

Apollo wasn't about to take that lying down. Flaring his godly aura here was a stupid idea on top of a stupid idea, but Apollo did so anyways.

"I'd like to see you try."

Kuja, however, just smirked. Red energy exploded around him, his skin taking a pinkish tinge, his entire form chaning. More animilitic than before. It lasted for but a second, fading away as Apollo stood, stunned. For the first time in a long time, fear ripped at his heart.

Kuja just kept on smirking.

"You… You're _that_ Kuja… The world slayer."

Kuja nodded.

The gods kept tabs on those like this one. Those so destructive they could level planets. The report they'd gotten had been simple: a miniature mage, in a pissed off fit of rage, had leveled an entire planet, ripping it to shreds in an instant. A dying planet, to be sure, but he had done so anyways. How, Apollo wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to test it.

He wasn't sure if he'd win. Not here, so far from home. Not here, weakened, away from his domain. Here, Kuja had all the advantages.

"Which means…" Apollo glanced at the arena.

He had called the blond his brother...

Apollo remembered his words to Hestia so many years ago, after his Aunt had returned from leaving her child among the stars.

The two brothers, reborn again and again, leveling worlds faster than even Ares would care to do.

Fuck. What had he gotten himself into?

"Yes." Kuja replied to Apollo's unspoken question. Then, Kuja turned away, back towards the arena. Zidane was dodging back and forth. The necromancer, Scarmiglione, had lost his cloak. What was beneath it was a twisted visage, patches of hair falling from a mostly bald head, grey molten skin, and massive arms that swung in arcs of destruction.

Kuja huffed in annoyance before stepping towards the rail again.

"ZIDANE! YOU BLOODY IDIOT! USE FIRE AND STOP PLAYING AROUND!"

"I thought you were cheering for the other guy."

Apollo jumped, spinning towards Cloud, who was standing there casually holding a cooling cup in his hands. Kuja turned towards him, a grateful look in his eyes as he stalked forth. Cloud handed said cup over, and Kuja devoured the damn thing in a single gulp.

"I am. However, if I let him get himself killed, I'll never hear the end of it from that annoying wife of his. She'll summon Bahamut on me. Again. Why she keeps doing so is beyond me, but I'm tired of getting scars from that bloody dragon." Kuja said.

Apollo should have stayed on the ship. He really should have.

* * *

Kuja had lived for a very long time.

Well.

'Lived', he supposed, was not the right word.

Even now, a thousand years later, Garland's curse seeped in his bones. No. Not his bones. Such a thing would be easy to undo, easy to shatter, easy to correct. No. What Garland had done ripped into his very soul, spikes and chains tearing away at it in a way that made even the Heartless weary to devour him.

Kuja wasn't sure whether he was grateful or offended by that aspect.

Garland. That sorry excuse of a father. He had made him, made Kuja, for a single, explicit purpose: made him to destroy, to kill, to bring carnage. An Angel of Death, Garland had called him. An Angel meant to die, an Angel meant to be discarded the moment they were no longer useful.

No. Worse than that. Garland had meant to tear Kuja's soul to pieces, destroying it into nothing the second Kuja wasn't of use. Well. Kuja hadn't exactly approved of that plan and, surprisingly, neither had Zidane. Patricide wasn't an approved practice across the universe, but that's exactly what they had done. Or, rather, what Kuja had tricked Zidane into helping in.

Really. Garland had brought it on himself. Kuja's plan wouldn't have worked nearly as well if the old fool hadn't attempted to turn Zidane into a mindless little killer.

In the end, Garland had fallen, but that wouldn't be enough, could it? No. Instead, that disgusting little android had to have the last laugh, had to cast one final curse.

Death and rebirth.

Kuja had died a thousand times. He would die again still. His time in this world was coming to an end. Such was the nature of the curse Garland had inflicted on him. The oldest Kuja had ever managed to reach was 28, and that had been a record. He usually died before that, his body giving out on him at the worst of moments.

Kuja, however, remembered. It wasn't perfect. There were gaps. Plenty of gaps. Holes in his memory, holes in the tapestry that wouldn't fill no matter how hard he tried. It didn't matter, though.

He refused. He refused to allow what happened to him in the Realm Beyond to ever happen again. That bloody clown had turned Kuja into a helpless puppet. How utterly disgraceful. Kuja refused. He refused, and so, he plotted. Plotted, and succeeded.

Garland's curse could kill him a thousand times over. It didn't matter. Kuja would remember, a thousand times over. That was his revenge. In the end, Kuja was the one that got the last laugh, so ha!

Still.

Despite Kuja's constant reincarnations, life could and did sometimes throw rather wild curve balls in one's direction. This just so happened to be one of them.

Cloud.

Friend or foe? Ally, comrade, or slayer? Cloud had been all of that before.

Kuja didn't always die from Garland's curse. Sometimes, when the memories took just a little too long to trigger, Kuja would find himself walking down a familiar blood soaked path. At the end of it, words wouldn't matter. Only more death.

Cloud had killed him before. Kuja had no doubt that in times future, Cloud would kill him again. That's just how the universe worked.

This… Apollo, though. This one was new. Truly new. Kuja had come across an Olympian before, yes, but they had been shades. Reflections. Copies. This was no shade. No copy. This was the genuine article. The real deal.

Apollo. Lord of Prophecy, of the Sun, of Healing and Music.

Hmph. More like the lord of 'I can't decide what to do when I grow up, daddy', but details. Still. Kuja was done with his threats. He was sure the god got the message. True, Kuja's relationship with Cloud was one chaotic mess of ups and downs, but he'd be damned if someone hurt the blond while he stood on the sidelines.

That was his job.

Kuja turned his attention back towards the arena

"Ah. Finally. That idiot brother of mine."

Zidane had taken his advice to heart.

His brother's use of magic had never been the most practical. Trying to teach Zidane to cast spells never worked. Zidane just wasn't good with them. He was, however, good at merely channeling the element into attacks. Kuja wasn't going to bother questioning it. He suspected it had something to do with his brother's Trance.

For example, right now, Scarmiglione was currently suffering under the burning fire of Zidane's Tribal Flame. Spinning circles of destruction, ripping across the ground wherever the Archfiend moved.

It was over in seconds, fire burning it from the ground and Zidane himself leaping onto the creature's head, plunging those daggers of his right through the skull, Scarmiglione disintegrating into pieces.

"I thought you were cheering the other one. You seem fickle with the side you choose." Apollo casually pointed out.

Kuja snorted. With a sneer, he shot a look over his shoulder at the Sun God. He didn't like this one, Kuja decided. Arrogant, self centered, pretty boy. What was there to like?

Kuja gleefully ignored his own nature or the way he paraded about proudly displaying as much flesh as physically possible.

"How judgemental of you. Your kind betray each other so much that the next time a backstab comes around, you're not even surprised. Beyond that, you willingly work alongside those that have tried to slay you a hundred times over, because literally everyone you know has tried to kill you one time or another."

Apollo looked like he very much wanted to put an arrow through Kuja's heart. Ah yes, he was the God of Archery as well, yes? Well, let him co-

"Can you two please get along? At least, when I'm around? Hell, I even gave you a few minutes alone." Cloud groaned.

Kuja decided to ignore that.

Apollo, however, shot Cloud a wounded look.

"You knew he would threaten me, and you left me with him anyways?!"

"Anything to stop your shitty excuse of flirtations." Cloud flatly replied.

Apollo gasped.

"But my dear Cloud, my wonderful little piece of sky, my shining light-"

"So," Cloud loudly interrupted Apollo, turning towards Kuja. Apollo himself grew red. Oh dear. Hm. God of the sun. Kuja wondered, if Apollo's rage grew too strong, would the latter go supernova? Hm. "You mentioned you could help me find my friend."

"Ah yes! You did neglect to give me a na- oh, hold on." Kuja tilted his head, a familiar presence moving closer. Ah, yes. Kuja supposed he was a bit of an asshole for what he was about to do next, but hey, he never had made the claim at being a good person. "One moment. Ah. Yes. Perfect. That will do." Kuja turned back to Cloud, a smile on his lips.

A smile that made Cloud very uneasy, and with good reason.

"What are you- what the fuck, Kuja!"

Kuja, ignoring Cloud's words, had casually swept his hand towards Cloud, magic seeping from his fingertips. Nothing offensive, mind you, but regardless, the implication was there. Cloud hadn't bothered defending himself, which Kuja was grateful for. He wasn't sure he could hit the target in time if Cloud had tried to move away.

Besides, it was just an itsy bitsy little spell he had learned from a certain Fairy Godmother. Nothing too bad, yes?

Cloud's clothes vanished in a flurry of sparks. Replacing it was a stunning red dress, a bit of makeup here and there, and a few added sparks to get Cloud's hair in a nice little bun on top. There! Crossdressing complete! Kuja giggled.

Kuja was very glad Cloud didn't have basilisk blood, or he'd have died then and there under the weight of the glare that was leveled at him.

"You look… Wow." Kuja blinked. Huh. Turning, he shot a look at Apollo. The Olympian looked stunned. Genuinely stunned by the transformation Kuja had forced Cloud to endured. That, Kuja had admittedly not expected. Whatever. Apollo was not, in fact, the intended target of this little prank.

"Kuja, what in the hell- why does my voice sound so high pitched!" Cloud screamed. His voice had shifted, the familiar baritone replaced with feminine chords.

Kuja shrugged, still smirking.

In that moment, the familiar presence landed right next to him, having literally barrelled right through the sky. Honestly. Had Zidane never heard of stairs?

"Kuja! Did you see that! I- woah." Zidane's eyes darted towards Cloud's crossdressed form. Kuja so needed to take pictures. He was so going to lord this over them all for the next couple of decades.

"Hey! Don't look at Cloudy like that!" Apollo snapped at Zidane.

'Cloudy' looked like he wanted to bash their heads in. All of them. How annoying. Getting that one to blush was like trying to squeeze water out of a stone.

Zidane, ignoring Apollo, strode towards Cloud.

"Hello, my dear beauty. I don't think we've had the pleasure of being introduced." Zidane spoke, taking one of Cloud's hands in his own. Oh wait. There it was. Cloud was getting red at last!

Except, Kuja was pretty sure that was from anger. Hm. Maybe this hadn't been the brightest of ideas?

Zidane brought the hand up his his lips, leaving a delicate kiss on it. Cloud himself didn't pull away, more shocked by the action than anything else. Instead, his eyes widened ever so slightly, taken aback by Zidane's actions.

Apollo looked like he wanted to blow a gasket. Only his knowledge of exactly how dangerous Zidane was, despite his rather lackluster appearance, seemed to prevent him from doing so.

"My name is Zidane. Zidane Tribal. And you, gorgeous? What should I call you? Or, would you prefer I call you mine?" Zidane flirted shamelessly. Especially since he was married. Not that Garnet would mind. At this point, that woman was just as bad, corrupted from a sweet little innocent girl by the voluptuous nature of Kuja's little brother. Let it never be said that Steiner wasn't right all along.

Cloud pulled his hand away, cheeks stained a rosy color.

Kuja made sure to snap a picture. Blackmail material is worth its weight in gold a thousand times over.

Surprise ebbed to anger.

"Aren't you married? And I'm a man!" Cloud's feminized voice snapped out.

Zidane blinked.

"Huh. You don't look it. Or sound it. But, hey, it's your life." Zidane accepted Cloud's words easily enough. Strangely, this seemed to make Cloud even angrier. "Besides, I doubt my wife would mind a hottie like you." Zidane shot Cloud a dazzling smile. Despite the words, Zidane backed away slightly.

Cloud spluttered a bit. Kuja snapped a few more pictures. Discreetly, mind you. Invisibility spells were the best. Getting caught would not bode well for him.

Deciding that ignoring Zidane would be the best course of action, Cloud instead turned back towards Kuja.

"Kuja! Turn me back, or I'll make Bahamut's rampages look like an amusement park in comparison!"

Kuja sighed. Well, fun was up, so he might as we-

Apollo materialized behind Cloud, pulling him back towards himself. Cloud damn near summoned the Buster Blade in response, which wouldn't have boded well for the Sun God.

"Yeah, no. I'm not letting your weird magic near Cloud again. There's no telling what you'll do." Apollo said.

Kuja rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come now. It was just a prank."

"Huh? Wait, Cloud?" Zidane's head darted back and forth between them all before finally settling back on Cloud. "Wait, you're Cloud? KUJA!" Zidane snarled, turning around one last time to shoot Kuja a glare of his own, his cheeks stained scarlet.

This was wonderful! This was so also being added to the blackmail list!

Apollo, ignoring them, waved a hand over Cloud. The dress melted away, his clothes and hair restoring themselves to their previous messy state.

Kuja giggled.

Apollo let go of Cloud, backing away slightly. Cloud, upon realizing he was no longer being forced to crossdress, blinked a few times before shooting Apollo a grateful look. "Thanks." Cloud muttered before looking away.

The sun god blushed.

Kuja, regrettably, was too surprised by this to snap a picture of it as well.

"Cloud! I am so, so sorry!" Zidane shouted, waving his hands back in forth in front of himself in apology.

Cloud grunted.

"It's fine. You didn't know." Cloud shrugged, shooting Kuja a glare. Hm. Maybe this incarnation would kill him? That wouldn't be fun. They were off on such a good start, too! "Although… What do you mean she wouldn't mind?" Cloud shot Zidane a suspicious look.

"Err… Eheh. Hey, look, my sex life is my sex life! You don't see me asking about yours!" Zidane sidestepped rather terribly. "I know! I'll go get us some snacks while I wait for my next match!" Zidane stated, turning to walk away. However, the genome hadn't gone ten steps before he paused. Shooting a look over his shoulders, he spoke. "Oh, and one more thing. Offer still stands!" Zidane then shot off like a bat right out of hell, but the damage had already been done.

With that, Zidane Tribal successfully managed to do in minutes what had taken Apollo weeks to accomplish. Kuja noted that the blush actually crawled down Cloud's neck. How far down it went was anyone's guess.

* * *

Cloud was going to murder Kuja. There wouldn't be anything left recognizable after Cloud was done with the genome. What in the hell was that? He knew Kuja was a troll of epic proportions, but really? Really? Who forces their friends to crossdress for their own twisted amusement?

Elsewhere, Karma Akabane and Rio Nakamura both sneezed.

At least Apollo had reversed it. Surprisingly. Cloud had expected the Sun God to act even worse, but Apollo had actually surprised him. Small miracles. Zidane, though, had been worse than Cloud remembered.

Zidane had always been a flirt, but really?

"Hn. Those two… No matter how often they die, they find themselves in the next life. Soulmates, through and through. That poor girl, corrupted by my brother's influence." Kuja stated casually, as if discussing the weather. Then, as if he hadn't just made a living embarrassment out of Cloud, he turned back towards them. "Anyways, back to business! You mentioned you had a friend you were looking for, yes?" Kuja said.

Cloud was so going to kill him.

**_"Don't kill him. Not yet. He can still be useful. Calm yourself."_**

_"Easy for you to say! He didn't make a fool out of you!"_

**_"I've crossdressed before, Cloud. As you and I both know, it's a good infiltration tactic. That and, unfortunately, we're both 'pretty' enough for it to work."_**

Cloud couldn't say that was surprising. Vincent had been a Turk. They were into all sorts of shady things. Still…

"Zack. We're looking for a man named Zack Fair." Apollo interrupted Cloud's thought process, earning him a sharp look from Cloud. Didn't that so called god know when to keep his mouth shut?

_Hey, you're the one who decided to trust this thong wearing midget!_

Cloud managed to keep his face impassive. Having a god speak directly in your mind isn't exactly normal.

Kuja blinked. The genome tilted his head in thought, a hand rising up as he cupped his own chin.

"Hm. That one… Doesn't ring any bells, no…"

Cloud growled. If Kuja had seriously put him through a crossdressing embarrassment and then proved useless in their quest, Vincent be damned, Cloud would take Kuja's head.

Okay. Maybe not literally. But still.

"Do you have something of his?" Kuja implored, hand falling limply at his side.

"Do we?" Apollo turned towards Cloud.

"No." Cloud spoke.

_**"Yes."** _Vincent countered.

Cloud blinked.

_"We do?"_

_**"Yes. You."** _Vincent spoke plainly. Wait, what?_ **"Zack spent years with his soul tied to your own. As I recall, you kept hearing his voice every so often."**_

_"How's that gonna even work?"_

"Hello? Most marvelous being in the universe to Cloud? Literal perfection to Cloud? Can you hear me?"

"Is that what I sound like most of the time?"

"Shut it, Sunny D. Cloud!"

It was only then that Cloud noticed that Kuja was shaking him. Oh wow. He really had phased out. Pulling back a little, Cloud contemplated his next move. Sure, this could work, but he wasn't sure how it would work. Still. Cloud would trust Vincent.

"We do have one thing…"

* * *

Apollo had to resist the urge to fling Kuja across the clearing and besige him with an endless barrage of plague arrows. Why?

After hearing Vincent's theory right from Cloud himself, Kuja had decided that yes, it could work. But, they would need more room since a simple veil wouldn't be enough to avoid detection.

Although, Apollo would like to state that the entrance to the Underworld was no better.

"Here?" Cloud voiced Apollo's thoughts.

"Of course, here. This is a sort of grey area. No man's land, if you will. Hades keeps away from the Olympians, the Olympians keep away from Hades."

Apollo still thought this was a bad idea. Still. He had to keep watch while Kuja performed whatever weird witchcraft he would to trace Zack. Zidane had remained back in the arena. He did have a match to get to, afterall.

Apollo was grateful.

He wasn't sure which one grated him more, Kuja or Zidane. On the one hand, Kuja was an egotistical little shit. On the other hand, Zidane looked all nice and charming but Apollo had been alive long enough to recognize the eyes of someone who had soaked themselves in blood. That, and the flirting with Cloud.

That was Apollo's job, thank you very much!

"Keep watch." Kuja repeated yet again.

"Yes, I know." Apollo snapped.

"Good god." Kuja smiled at him, looking like he was resisting the urge to offer Apollo a treat. Apollo grit his teeth.

On the bright side, if he decided to kill Kuja, Cloud would probably help. That should up Apollo's chances of winning, even so far from home, right?

Apollo turned away, gaze set on the horizon. Behind him, Cloud and Kuja stood, surrounded by rock and stone. A forest stretched out around them, a river bending in the distance. Apollo himself stood guard at the one and only entrance, and it was his job to make sure no one stumbled upon them.

A duty he readily abandoned when Cloud let out a hollowed, bone chilling scream.

Apollo twisted, bow in hand, as Cloud fell to his knees, hands clutching desperately at his chest, at the ground, at anything. Kuja himself stepped back, a strange ethereal substance, like gas, glowing in his hands, strings of it flowing towards Cloud.

A shard.

A shard of Cloud's soul.

What in the hell had they agreed to anyways?

Apollo growled, lifting his bow.

"Kuja-" Apollo began.

"I'll try to make this quick! Cloud, hold on for a moment longer!" Kuja, once again, interrupted Apollo. Apollo was beginning to suspect that Kuja was doing it on purpose.

Cloud's body seemed to bend into itself. The veins running along his body became more pronounced, angry red lines running along his frame. His eyes weren't spared, glowing a malevolent gold.

Apollo couldn't help it. He shuddered.

So much like those eyes.

Such… Evil.

That… That couldn't be Cloud, right?

"Just hurry the fuck up! Damn it!" Cloud howled, face scrunching in agony.

Kuja didn't bother answering. Instead, his voice broke into a litany of languages, some of which even Apollo didn't recognize. Around them, the wind began to pick up, spinning around more and more. A few rocks actually started floating.

Just what in the hell was that midget casting?

Apollo stepped forth.

"There!" Kuja shouted. Then, with a single push, the shard of Cloud's soul shot back into his body. The earth around them trembles as Cloud gasped, only barely managing to catch himself from falling face first into the earth.

Several feet away, Kuja himself had been flung back. Slowly, the mage rose. Burns covered a good portion of his arms, which surprised Apollo. Surely a tracking spell couldn't be that dangerous, right?

Golden eyes flashed back into Apollo's head as he shot Cloud another weary look.

That hadn't looked natu-

"Oh for fucks sakes. Should have known."

Apollo turned. Cloud looked up. Kuja was bent over, retrieving something from the ground. When he stood, displaying it for them all to see, Apollo couldn't help but feel a flash of annoyance. A feather. Really? A black feather? All of that, for that? What did that even mean?

Cloud swore, loudly, smashing his fist into the ground, shattering the earth.

Okay, evidently, the feather had more meaning than Apollo had assumed.

"In the name of Olympus, who are you people and what are you doing here?"

Shit. Apollo was suppose to be keeping watch. With an eep, the Sun God spun. There, standing at the entrance of the clearing, golden skin and all, was Hercules himself, arms crossed as he shot them all a narrow eyed gaze.

This time, Kuja joined Cloud in swearing and Apollo could only wince.

* * *

Hercules, Kuja realized, or this version at the very least, had once more been deaged. Sometimes, he truly wondered how such few beings realized everything was in a loop. It wasn't like it was that hidden. It was pretty blatant. Then again, most weren't as marvelously wonderful as Kuja himself.

The teenage Hercules crossed his arms.

"Well? Who're you people? What kind of magic was that?"

The boy was humoring them. He already knew. The look in his eyes was telling. Kuja hadn't exactly used a spell that was rainbows and flowers. There was a reason he'd chosen to cast it so near to Hades' adobe. He'd hoped the dark magic permenating from that wretched place would mask them.

Considering Hercules had found them instead of one of the faux Olympians, that plan had actually succeeded. Kuja was not surprised. His plans always panned out. He was just that brilliant.

Which could only mean one thing.

The brat had been trailing them. Which, of course, meant that not one of them had actually noticed said brat trailing them. Technically speaking, this made the whole situation a joint fallacy.

Kuja never had claimed to be a fair genome, though. With a snarl, he turned shot an accusing glare at Apollo.

"I could have sworn you were meant to be keeping watch!" Kuja snapped.

Apollo turned to him, offended. "I could have sworn you said it wouldn't hurt him, before you pulled out his-" Apollo stopped himself at the last second, shooting a weary glance towards Hercules.

The youth crossed his arms.

"Soul. He pulled out his soul. He literally pulled out that guy's soul."

Cloud's eyes met Kuja's. There was a question in that gaze. Kuja, quite frankly, didn't know what to tell the blond. In all honesty, he knew just as much about Hercules as Cloud probably did. This wasn't a world Kuja visited often when he'd wake.

He wouldn't be here at all of Zidane hadn't wanted to participate in that bloody tournament.

It was just luck, really, that Cloud had come across him.

Luck…

Kuja was instantly put on edge.

Cloud titled his head to the side, his face changing rapidly. The Sun God shot Cloud a look, one which Cloud returned as both their expressions shifted rapidly, back and forth.

"How utterly rude! I understand leaving muscles out of the conversation, but really? I must say, I am utterly disappointed." Kuja declared dramatically. All eyes shot to him. Kuja new it was petty, but he couldn't help it. It was just his nature. Arms crossed, the genome huffed. "Honestly, telepathic communication is so overrated."

This, of course, caused Hercules to draw his sword. Oh, foolish little Demigod. The Zeus of this world could come down and he'd be forced to flee if push came to shove. It was almost adorable how the brat thought the little blade would make any semblance of a difference.

"Start talking, before I-" the teen began.

"Zack. We're looking for Zack Fair." Cloud interrupted. Pretty boy froze, sword almost going slack in his arms. His expression flickered for a second to something Kuja recognized well.

It was a look he often saw gliding along Cloud's face.

Guilt.

Cloud caught onto it as well.

In an instant, the young Demigod found himself pinned to the ground with a sword at his throat.

Well. That escalated quickly. How utterly lovely.

* * *

"What do you know!" Cloud all but barked.

Cloud would have had to have been blind not to recognize the familiar look of guilt crossing someone else's features. He'd literally spent years wearing the exact same face, going through the exact same motions, wondering and pondering what he could have done differently to make just the smallest of differences.

Okay, maybe he was overreacting, especially considering the way the kid whimpered a bit at the literal sword at his throat.

In Cloud's defense, Kuja playing with his soul, literally, had left him woozy, and that was putting it mildly. That was the last time Cloud let someone do that to him. Ever.

**_"Tear him to bits."_**

_"Shut up, Chaos!"_ Cloud snapped.

Chaos pounding against Cloud's head was not a happy thing. Instinctively, Cloud had known that the demon had to be there, somewhere in the background. They'd known that from the start. The demon had been trapped in Vincent. Why then, wouldn't it transfer to Cloud?

Regardless, Chaos hadn't bothered awakening when Gaia was burning into ashes. Why, then, would he bother now?

Cloud wasn't sure. All he knew was that Chaos was there and he was giving him a hell of a headache and making him want to hit something. Repeatability.

A hand landed on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud growled, twisting to glare at the offending appendage.

"Calm. Down. Hey, it's okay. Listen to me. Listen to my voice. Shh. It's alright."

"Stop codling me or I'll show you exactly what I'm made of, 'Fred'." Cloud told the other coldy. Apollo pulled his hand back, arms lifted in mock surrender.

Then, a foot smashed into Cloud's chest, knocking the wind out of him as he was blasted back.

What in the…

Cloud hadn't felt strength like that since Sephiroth. He was pretty sure something bad actually broken. Wiry limbs or no, that brat packed one hell of a kick.

Cloud was used to shrugging off wounds, though.

With ease, the false SOLDIER spun in midair, twisting before managing to land properly on his feet, sliding back a little as dirt pooled around his boots.

Hercules panted as he stood.

Instantly, a bow was pointed right at him as six spheres of glowing radiant light appeared around Kuja, spinning around him.

Hercules, however, paid them no mind. Instead, the boy just kept staring right at Cloud, as if Cloud was the only thing in the world.

"He… Zack. He… I wasn't… None of us where… It just came, and I- I couldn't save-" the kid looked on the verge of tears.

Cloud took a step. The kid flinched, eying Cloud's sword wearily. Cloud supposed that was fai-

**_"Pathetic welp. Break him. Rend the flesh f rom his bones."_**

_"Enough."_

Cloud blinked as a sudden heat flooded through his body. Bright, burning. Chaos hissed for a second before retreating, if only for a moment. Cloud shot a grateful look towards Apollo, but the Sun God wouldn't meet his eyes.

A dark feeling pooled in Cloud's stomach. Ignoring it, he turned back towards Hercules. Slowly, Cloud twisted the Buster Blade in hand before slamming it, tip first, through the earth.

Hercules relaxed marginally with the act alone.

"Tell us what you know."

* * *

Apollo sighed.

Today was not going like he had expected. From being threatened by a man wearing a literal man thong, to meeting a midget that could probably skewer him a dozen times over before he could even think of retaliating, to seeing… That monster.

Chaos, Cloud called it.

Yes. Yes it was.

Or rather, a shard of it. An aspect. The Abyss, walking and existing in human form, scattered across the cosmos. Even if it wasn't actually the Abyss, it was similar enough to set Apollo's teeth on edge.

Especially with those eyes.

That malevolent golden glow, staring at him knowingly.

And, of course, the brat Hercules just had to show up randomly in the middle of it. Apollo didn't want to even try and wrap his was around why he was called Hercules instead of Heracles when all the other faux gods around here had Greek names.

Cloud was currently… Interrogating the other, since Hercules apparently would only talk to Cloud and no one else. Stupid annoying little brat. He'd looked right at Apollo as he said it too instead of, you know, the soul bender.

And what in the hell even was that? Kuja's tracking spell was insane beyond belief. Apollo was personally surprised Cloud had walked out of it with his mind intact. You just… Don't toy with that kind of power. It just isn't done.

Even Apollo wouldn't dare, and he was a god.

Kuja shot him a look but said nothing, keeping the silence between them.

The silence stretched on. Uncomfortable, strung between them like a dinner back home while ignoring his dad's latest affair that everyone already knew about.

Apollo wanted to scream. He wasn't used to being quiet. Or ignored. Ah, screw it. Might as well ask about something he was curious about.

"So…" Apollo began. Kuja turned to him to him, eyeing him expectantly. No. That wasn't it. More like amused.

Apollo resisted the urge to smite the other. It was a very close call. Kuja should be honored that he was in the presence of one of the more level headed Olympians.

"That feather. What was it? Why did the pair of you freak out?"

Kuja's breath seemed to hitch.

That… Was not a good sign. In fact, it was a bad sign. A very, very bad sign.

Kuja gave out a small noise of resignation.

"I suppose we ought inform you of it. You do appear to be in this for the long haul, little god." Kuja spoke.

Little? Who did this tiny silver haired crossdresser think he was?

Kuja lifted the feather. He'd held onto the goddamn thing, twisting it in his fingers. Black, as dark as a Fury's plumage. So dark it looked like it was drenched in soothe, really. It practically ate the light away.

"Tell me, little god, what do you know of the Calamity?" Kuja asked.

Apollo eyes the feather with a little more weariness.

"Meaning?"

"Apocalypse. Ragnarok. Armageddon. It has many names. But, it is always brought about by a Calamity. Walking, wanton destruction which leaves only ashes in its wake. You've heard of them, yes?" Kuja finally looked up, feather still twisting in his hands. Looked up and stared right at him expectantly, challengingly.

Apollo's gaze hardened.

"I've no idea what you mean." Apollo said.

Kuja snorted.

"Don't you? The Darkness. Surt. What was that other one called? The Antichrist? Apophis. Nihilus. The Black Fairy. Utsuro. What was that Abomination destined to kill the Olympians? The brother of Athena? Krato, I think it was?" Kuja titled his head in thought.

No, that version of Kratos that had been yet another blunder caused by their counterparts since the real one was much nicer and did not, in fact, go around skewering everyone on a pair of spinning daggers, but Kuja didn't need to know that.

"The list goes on."

Apollo fidgeted uncomfortably.

"We don't speak of them." Apollo said simply. And they didn't. Kuja spoke of things that didn't concern them.

Kuja snorted.

"Of course you don't. Beings born to leave naught but carnage. That," Kuja lifted the feather, "is what this belongs to. Or, rather, her child." Kuja revealed.

Apollo was really starting to regret this. Aunt Hestia was getting him involved in messes way past what he'd originally believed.

Help me find my lost not lover but totally a lover because you're my favorite nephew, she'd said. Evil woman, playing on Apollo's sense of pride, all while praising him.

"Her son?"

The son of a destroyer was better than the actual destroyer, Apollo supposed.

Kuja nodded.

"Yes. The one that was worst."

Apollo came to a grinding haunt.

"... Come again?"

"Sephiroth. The fallen one. Son of the Calamity. Originally, he refused his role, you see. So, Jenova, the Calamity, conquered him. Possessed and used him, and was promptly defeated by a pissed off teenager through the power of emotional angst." Kuja continued.

What in the hell?

"Sephiroth, in turn, was made utterly furious by this. It was an utter embarrassment. His moment of triumph, overdone by a failed reject who couldn't even make it past basic Infantry." Kuja explained. Apollo winced. This Jenova was starting to remind him of Ares' stellar I'm-better-than-everyone-owe-how-did-the-ant-stab me moments.

"Sephiroth didn't like that. At all. So furious, in fact, that in the end, he proved he was the real monster of the story. He reversed the bond. He subjected her, forced her to his will, to his ideals. He surpassed the Calamity, and broke it through sheer force of mental will."

Apollo couldn't suppress the shiver that shook through him. That… Was utterly terrifying. To not only have the willpower to overcome something that ancient, but to force it to submit to you in turn? What kind of monster were they dealing with?

"Sephiroth then coalesced his power. Five years later, he returned, ready to lay siege to an entire planet and leave it burning as he ascended into godhood. He summoned a mighty meteor from the sky, intent on destroying the world and using it to ascend."

Holy hell. That's what they were dealing with? Planet busters were never on Apollo's list of favorites. In fact, they were on his list of turn away and run. Kuja happened to be on that list, but even Kuja hadn't won a mental tug a war with a cosmic entity born to devour worlds.

"So, he blew up the planet." Apollo realized the reality. Past the fear, a feeling of rage overtook him. This was the monster that brought such a broken look to Cloud's face. Despite everything, Apollo wanted to meet this so called 'Sephiroth' and break him.

Kuja then shook his head, much to Apollo's shock.

"Negative." Kuja said. Apollo stared in disbelief. "Destiny had other ideas. The same no name brat showed up and beat Sephiroth into submission. If that wasn't bad enough, Sephiroth tried again a few years later and promptly got his ass handed to him on a silver platter in the span of a scant few minutes."

Apollo's eyes, impossibly, widened even more.

"That… That's not possible. How in the world…"

Kuja smirked.

"Simple, really. I doubt there was a no named brat to begin with. The fact that said brat can hardly remember the years of his life leading to Sephiroth's first defeat are rather telling. I always did wonder what Cloud had within him that enabled him to cause a creature like Jenova to freeze." Kuja tilted his head in wonder.

That caused Apollo to snap up, shooting an incredulous look in the direction of Cloud and Hercules. Cloud had taken on a Jenova-possessed Sephiroth, and won. Won, because the Calamity could see, just like Apollo could, the boiling darkness just beneath the surface. Those cold, twisted, evil eyes that spoke only death.

"No, Chaos wasn't involved." Kuja rolled his eyes. Apollo shot the other a look of surprise, momentarily wondering if the genome could read his mind. If so, it was a wonder the other was still sane. A god's mind was a chaotic dance at the best of times. Entering it could be considered tantamount to suicide. "It was written all over your face. Don't think Cloud hasn't noticed, either." Kuja crossed his arms, shooting Apollo a look of distaste.

Apollo's gaze hardened.

"That thing. You know what it was?"

"A curse from times past. Cloud, you could say, is a… Very special person. Tell me, Lord of Prophecies, how many beings have you met that could hold the heart, the soul, of another, tethering it to themselves in one last moment of desperation."

Apollo reeled back.

That… Not many. Not the way Kuja was describing. Yes, there had been those that fed of souls, using their energy for their own gain, but what Kuja spoke of… It was far different.

Was that what Vincent was?

Was that what this Zack had been?

"Now you understand, little god?" Kuja smiled at him. Apollo felt a tick mark appear above his head. "Of all the things to take Fair, it was the one that has hounded Cloud all his life. Personally, I'm not surprised. If any two souls are intertwined to antagonize the other until the end of time, it's Cloud Strife and Sephiroth."

* * *

Traverse Town felt odd, Hestia decided. Odd, but she enjoyed it.

This world was a patchwork of other worlds, a safe haven that would appear in times of crisis and strife. The fact that it existed now at all was, of course, cause for concern. Hestia could feel it, the echo across the skies, the stars slowly being snuffed out, drowned in the darkness. A darkness even she would not be able to stand against.

Hestia knew what it meant.

The Keyblade Master had at long last fallen.

The when, she wasn't sure, but the fact remained that Eraqus was no more. There was no trace of him or his students, which did not bode well. Unless they found the new heir of the Keyblade, and fast, everyone everywhere would die. The darkness would continue to fester, like a cancer, ever growing and ever encompassing until all life would finally die and-

"Hesita."

Hestia spun.

Cloud Strife stood before her.

Hestia smiled.

Recruiting Cloud had been one of her better choices. If anyone loved Zack as much as she had, it was Cloud. Well, him and Aerith but Hestia very adamantly wanted to avoid Aerith. Far too awkward.

"Did you find anything?" Hestia asked hopefully.

Her son was still safe and sound in Destiny Island. True, Hera's involvement in that whole debacle had been rather startling, but Sora was safe… If now bonded to her world with ties stronger than the blood of a mother that left him behind and instead tied with friendship, but still.

Sora was safe. All that remained was Zack.

Hestia hoped Cloud would bring her good news.

Cloud and… Apollo, Hestia noted with surprise. Hm. She'd assumed her nephew would have left Cloud by now, but apparently he was sticking to the other blond like rather adhesive glue.

"I found him," Cloud revealed.

Hestia resisted the urge to leap for joy.

Zack was alive! Cloud had found him! Finally, this nightmare would soon come to an-

Wait.

Cloud's expression should have matched her own. If anything, Apollo's should have as well. Her nephew not being a little ball of sunshine was down right mind numbing, on top of Cloud's grim expression.

Hestia felt a familiar feeling pool in her stomach. It was the same one she was struck with whenever Zeus did anything particularly Zeusish.

Cloud met her gaze.

"I found him… And I'm going to have to kill him. I- I won't-" Cloud gasped.

For a moment, Cloud's expression broke. It broke apart and the agony on his face was almost palpable. Then, it hardened as he continued, firm and determined.

"I refuse," Cloud said. "I won't let him suffer like that, not him. He doesn't deserve what's been done to him. I'm going to find him, and _I am going to end him,_ if it's the last thing I do."

Yes, Hestia decided. Things were definitely taking a turn for the worst.


End file.
